Improvement in making gas from wood



L. R.-BREISACH MAKING GAS. FROM WOOD.

No. 25,316. Patented Sept. 6, 1859.

J4me aa/Z ZcZh Z UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

LEoroLn Rn'nn. BREISACH, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN. MAKING GAS FROM WOOD.

Specification forming part ofLetters Patent No. 25,816,'dated'Septemb'er .6, 1859.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that -1,-LEOPOLD RICHARD 'BREIsACH, of the city, county,and'Sta-te of New York, have invented new Improvements in the Mode ofMaking by Dry Distillation Lighting-Gas from \Vood and Woody Fiber; andI hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same.

My said invention consists in the application of a certain series oftemperatures to two horizontal D-sha'ped retorts, each retort to havearange or series of temperatures of its own, and these two retortsmadeot iron or clay, such as are commonly used at present in gas-works,(or if for private works of smaller dimensions,) the one retort filledwith billets of well-seasoned wood (charged in an iron scoop or withoutit) and the other retort charged with proportionate quantitiesofcharcoal, and these two retorts set in the furnace such as suitable tothe gas-maker that is, either parallel to each-other and the mouth ofboth on the same side, or parallel and the 'mouth of one forward and ofthe other aft, or so in one straight line-and these two retorts to beconnected by a bridge-pipe for conveying the vapors, &c., from one tothe other.

I shall now describe my improved process.

and the contrivances therefor, compared with the old one and itscontrivances.

Hitherto it has been the practice to use for wood-gas making one retortwith metallic chambers or otherwise, called cellularshellsj and thelike, the Whole cast of one piece orbecome heated higher; but this andthe application of a retort with chambers is an imperfect mode of makinggas, because if the contrivances be heated too high the olefiant gasdecomposes toli'gh't carburcted hydrogen and the lighting-power of thegenerated-gas decreases. If the whole contrivance is heated too low, toomuch tar and too little gas are manufactured. ll use, therefore, tworetorts apart from each other, but-connected by a short bridge-pipe, andby setting them as stated the application of. a proper temperature foreach one is practicable, needing only the construction of proper fineswith a damper, and this is effected even without consumfing more fuel,as the heat goingoff from the redistilling charcoal-containing retort isserv: iceablc for the other wood-containing retort. If the two retort'sare properly set and con.- nected by a bridge-pipe, they are filled theone with wellseasoned wood, sufficiently chopped to allow the heattopenetrate at once the whole porous substance, and the other retortwith such'a proportionatequantity of charcoal as will be explained. If,then, the heat is kept up in the latter-mentioned retort to about 1,tt00to 1,650 Fahrenheit, or to a cherry-red, and in the first to about 750to 850 Fahrenheit, or to a 'faint red color, the aqueous vapors,carbonic acid, carbonic oxide, acetic acid, the highly-carbonaceousoils, andthe carbides of hydrogen pass-jott' through theconnectingbridge-pipe to tl1e eharcoal-contaming retort, and here coming over intheir nascent state these products combine to form oletiant gas, lightcarbureted hydrogen, car-.

bonic oxide, f rce hydrogen, and som e carbonicacidgases', fluidpyroligncous acid, and Vege- As the incandescent charcoal in thehigherheatcd retort otters a great heated surface to the products comingthrough the bridgepipc, the quantity of charcoal used ought to beregulated according to the moisture of the Wood and its density'that is,if more moist,-

more charcoal; if more porous, more charcoal; and less moist and porous,less charcoal.

"lhus, for instance, if pine wood is nsed,varying as it does in its'qualtity, abouteight'to twelve pounds of charcoalv will do for onehundred pounds of wood. has to be distilled from oak wood, about six toeight poundsof charcoal, according to the quality of the oak, will besufticient for one hundred pounds of wood. It is also of great moment toregulate the pressure in the re- Ilowever, if gas.

torts, which is dependent upon the depth of .the dipping-pipe in thehydraulic main, (opening, asit does there, under the (2113) next-uponthe washer, condenser, purifier, and gasholder. A too great pressurewill keep the gases too-long in the two retorts, which would .beinjurious, taking into consideration that wood begins to decompose undera tempera-- ture of -50 Fahrenheit.

It is linderstood that tlie'otheir arrangenientstha-t is, the diiferentmodes ofsetting the hydraulic mains,washenoondenser, purifier, andgas-h0lder-remain the same as now; but, nevertheless, with my improvedmode a. greater quantity and better qnztlityof gas will be obtained.

Therefore I claim and wishto secure by Letters Paten't- I The process ofmanufacturing illuminatinggas from wood by-distilling" the same in tworetorts of varying temperatures, as set forth,

one of which retorts' is charged-with charcoal varying in amountaccording to the conditions indicated, the whole process being conductedas herein set fOrth.

New York, February 1, 1859-,

LEOPOLD mono. BREISACH.

Witnesses:

FRIEDRICH HINKE, HENRY L. SCHRADER.

